Chapter 23: I Can Leave

Along the way, Luo Yunqiao was lost in thought, silent and preoccupied with how to rescue the servants who had been sold off. After all, they were innocent, merely collateral damage in a struggle for power. Yet, this matter required careful deliberation; at the end of the day, within the vast expanse of the Marquis’s estate, she was nothing more than an excluded outsider whose words carried no weight. To the outside world, she was the eldest young lady of the Marquis’s house, basking in endless glory, but no one knew the hardship of her true circumstances.

"Ah—"

As she drifted deep into her thoughts, Luo Yunqiao stumbled over a stone. She lost her balance, her body tilting uncontrollably backward. Fortunately, Luo Zeting was quick-witted and caught her arm in time, steadying her and preventing an intimate encounter with the ground.

Luo Zeting looked at her with concern. "Watch your step."

"Thank you, elder brother." Luo Yunqiao regained her composure, quietly pulling her arm away to put some distance between them. Her polite, distant demeanor stung Luo Zeting.

"Yunqiao, I have something to say to you." Luo Zeting spoke suddenly, as if he had made a difficult decision. He could no longer bear the atmosphere between them; it was better to speak openly.

Luo Yunqiao’s expression remained unchanged. She simply fixed her ink-black eyes on him, waiting for him to continue.

Luo Zeting pressed his lips together and said, "Sending you to chant scriptures was a decision made by our entire family after much careful planning. But we had our reasons."

"Reasons?" Luo Yunqiao found it laughable. "Then tell me, brother, what reason blinded the entire family, making you all unable to see my grievances or hear my protests? I clearly stated that it was the maidservant by Luo Yunzhen’s side who framed me. Why did no one believe me?"

She could not understand how anyone could treat their own kin this way. Was it merely because she had been absent for the past decade?

Luo Zeting spoke with a pained expression: "Yunqiao, Yunzhen was raised in this household since childhood. We know her temperament perfectly well; she would never do such a wicked thing. As for the maidservant you mentioned... even if that were true, she must have been acting under someone else's orders. This matter must never be brought to light, or it will do irreparable damage to Yunzhen’s reputation."

"Yunzhen is the legitimate daughter raised by the Marquis’s house for over a decade. Her every word and action represents our family. If this were to spread, the reputation of the Marquis’s house would be ruined!"

Luo Zeting spoke with heartfelt sincerity, seemingly desperate for Luo Yunqiao to understand the actions of himself and their parents.

"And what about me?" Luo Yunqiao’s voice was devoid of fluctuation. She was not the hysterical mess he had expected; she was as calm as an outsider.

Luo Zeting’s eyes darted away, afraid to look at her. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he said, "Yunqiao, you are different. You have only just been brought back. Even if such a thing happened, we could explain it away by saying you know little of the Marquis’s house etiquette, which would minimize the impact on the family."

"You... you can understand your big brother, right?"

Watching her own biological brother speak so righteously of these "calculated plans" without a shred of regard for her, Luo Yunqiao suddenly smiled. All these high-sounding excuses were merely because Luo Yunzhen had been raised in the house, her every action carefully cultivated, serving as the bridge between the Marquis’s house and the Third Prince.

Luo Zeting had likely sensed something amiss, but if he were to follow the trail and it turned out to be Luo Yunzhen’s doing, he would be forced to punish her. It was better to turn a blind eye; sacrificing only her was the way to minimize the loss.

"Fine," Luo Yunqiao nodded. "I understand you."

With that, she stepped over the stone and strode forward.

"You still hold resentment toward the house!" Luo Zeting grabbed her arm to stop her, his tone full of certainty.

Luo Yunqiao stopped, turned to look at him, and said, word by word, "How could I dare to hold resentment when you can decide everything about me so easily?"

"In terms of affection, Luo Yunzhen is the eldest lady, held in the palm of your hands for years. I, on the other hand, was only recognized a few months ago."

"In terms of interest, Luo Yunzhen is a qualified young lady groomed by you all; her future marriage will bring great benefits. My years spent drifting are assumed to mean I lack etiquette, and thus no noble family would take me as a primary wife."

"The reason you treat me this way is simply because you find me lowly, because you believe my existence is a stain on the Marquis’s house. If I were dead, or if I had never existed at all, that would be the best result for you and for Luo Yunzhen."

Luo Yunqiao closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, they were clear. She said, "But is all of this my fault? If I could, I would not want to have drifted away, nor would I want to be separated from my family."

"No, it’s not like that..." Luo Zeting wanted to say more, but he saw the red rims of Luo Yunqiao’s eyes.

Suddenly, a thousand words were choked in his throat. Looking into those eyes, so similar to his own, Luo Zeting stood stunned for a long time.

...

By the time they returned to the estate, the atmosphere between them remained frigid.

Nanny Tian, who had been waiting at the gate, immediately hurried over upon seeing them. "Young Master, Miss Yunqiao, the Madam requests your presence!"

Luo Zeting nodded, looking weary. Luo Yunqiao naturally had no objection; in other words, her opinion had never mattered in the Marquis’s house.

The two followed Nanny Tian to the courtyard of Madam Luo Zhou. Before they even entered, they heard voices from within.

"Mother, my hand hurts so much." The voice was delicate and soft; it was clearly Luo Yunzhen’s.

Then came Madam Luo Zhou’s soothing voice, "Alright, alright, Mother will blow on it and it won't hurt anymore."

"Mother, I told you, the wound on Zhen’er’s hand is all Luo Yunqiao’s fault! If she hadn't tried to snatch Zhen’er’s jewelry, Zhen’er wouldn't have been hurt!"

"That woman is vulgar and crude; how could she ever be my sister? How could she ever be a lady of the Marquis’s house? She should just be driven out once and for all."

Luo Zefeng’s angry voice carried out, and a hint of mockery curled the corners of Luo Yunqiao’s lips. Luo Zeting’s face turned pale. He glanced at Luo Yunqiao before striding into the courtyard.

"Hold your tongue! This has nothing to do with Yunqiao!"

Luo Yunqiao, following behind, walked into the courtyard and saw Madam Luo Zhou clutching Luo Yunzhen’s hand, while Luo Zefeng sat to the side, his confusion slowly turning into rage.

"Zhen’er’s injury has nothing to do with Yunqiao, that is because..." Luo Zeting began to explain, only to be interrupted by Luo Zefeng.

"It is Luo Yunqiao’s fault! If it weren't for her, how would Zhen’er have been hurt?"

Luo Zeting’s anger flared, his voice rising higher than usual: "Luo Zefeng, today it was clearly you who tried to take the gift I bought for Yunqiao, which led to this entire conflict!"